Rockdale Housing About Us - Rockdale Housing

Our History

Rockdale is a registered social landlord and has been supporting older people in Sevenoaks since 1953. Today it is home to over 200 residents in a range of sheltered accommodation and residential care. Whether you opt to rent or purchase your property, or move to our residential home, you will be part of a welcoming community nestled in the centre of Sevenoaks Town. For many of our residents the knowledge that our staff are on site 24-hours a day brings peace of mind so that they can enjoy their retirement.

We are a not-for-profit charitable organisation which enables us to keep Rockdale affordable for all and any profits are invested back into the Association and not to shareholders. We are governed by a Board of Trustees which ensures that Rockdale adheres to its values and principles of providing the best, affordable housing to older people in Sevenoaks.

Originally set up by a pioneering lady of Sevenoaks, Miss Beatrice Wilson, Rockdale is steadfast in its founding principles which Miss Wilson set out over 60 years ago. Miss Wilson trained as a physiotherapist at St Guys Hospital in London and ran her own clinic on Southpark called The Vitasan.

Upon her return from service overseas during the war, whilst still operating her clinic, she raised enough money to purchase Rockdale House (now Laurie House) which she converted into a residential home for the elderly in 1953.

Miss Wilson continued to fundraise further and between 1958-1968 she was able to construct 86 apartments for independent living which our residents continue to enjoy today. She was a truly remarkable woman who has provided so many people with a beautiful home. Today, we continue her efforts by developing the site and upholding her values so that Rockdale will always be a wonderful place to live.

Our Mission and Objectives

Rockdale’s mission is to provide housing, care and other help for older people which they can afford, and which will enable them to maintain or improve their quality of life. Its objectives are:

To provide good quality homes and support services for older people which meet their changing needs. This means we will:

• provide well managed housing cost-effectively and to high standards
• consult with residents, tenants and leaseholders on the services provided
• regularly monitor, evaluate and strive to improve services
• provide efficient and responsive repair services, and make adequate provision for planned maintenance
• make the best use of our assets to maintain a sustainable community
• offer appropriate advice to services and welfare benefits.
To offer high quality residential care.

• aim to establish Rockdale House as a model of excellence in residential care
• recognise that the quality of residential care is dependent on the quality of the staff providing it, and thus place a high priority on the recruitment, training and retention of staff
To sustain and develop its charitable work.

• set aside such capacity and funding as can be afforded by the Association for the support of those who do not have the financial means to access our services
• account clearly for our charitable work through external reporting
• seek grants and donations for the support and expansion of our charitable work

Our Senior Staff

Claire Billis

CEO

Claire Billis joined Rockdale Housing in June 2020 in the role of Head of Housing and has now moved to the CEO position.

Before joining Rockdale, Claire worked for a number of Social Housing Providers in a variety of roles, spanning 25 years. Claire spent the last 14 years working at Clarion Housing where she was primarily responsible for the strategic direction of Housing Services, ensuring the delivery was both innovative and customer focused.

Ros Ward

Manager - Rockdale House Care Home

Ros has been Rockdale House Care Home Manager since August 2020 and is a Registered Nurse with a strong background in care, having worked in care homes, London Hospitals and as a Health Visitor.

Robert Kirton

Head of Finance and Maintenance

Robert Kirton has joined Rockdale in an interim capacity while a new Head of Finance and Maintenance is recruited. Robert is a specialist interim manager who likes to improve systems and processes and is keen to progress some of Rockdale’s plans for new finance and organisational systems. Some of Robert’s past roles have been as Director of Finance and Estates for the British Library, Director of Finance for Great Ormond Street Hospital and its charity and financial advisor to the Gibraltar Health Authority.

Our Board of Trustees

We are tremendously grateful to our Board of Trustees who work entirely on a voluntary basis, and are responsible for formulating the Association’s policy and monitoring its work. Many of them have impressive professional backgrounds which brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our organisation.